With television coverage, poker has become extremely popular. Accordingly, poker games attract larger player pools and prize monies. Poker tournaments have seen dramatic increases in the number of entrants and prize pools. In a typical poker tournament the top 10% of the entrants receive a payout. For example, if 100 players enter a poker tournament, the final 10 players will receive a payout. Using the same example, the players that finish in 11th to 15th are said to be on the bubble (i.e., close to the money but not quite). In many circumstances, especially with large fields and long tournaments, players prefer to be knocked out early rather than finish in a bubble position.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide players with an opportunity to receive a payout when finishing near a bubble position but in a position not normally paid.